The worst recidivist drink-drivers in the country are men in their early 40s and experts say the problem is simply a "man thing".
Almost 6000 drivers faced their th
Figures released under the Official Information Act show that up to December 1, 5955 drivers had been charged with drink-driving for at least the third time.
Of those drivers, 5042 were men, mostly in the 41-45 bracket.
The remaining 913 were women mostly in the 36-40 age group.
The Canterbury district topped the table with 722 recidivist drink-drivers being charged, 638 of those men and the majority aged between 21 and 25.
The Bay of Plenty came in close behind with 715 recidivists, of whom 564 were men, followed by Counties Manukau with 678 charges, of whom 605 were men. In both districts the majority of men charged were in the 41-45 age group.
Since 2008, the number of repeat drink-drivers charged has dropped by about 14%.
Police were using various measures to target recidivist offenders, including keeping a list of their vehicles and keeping an eye out for them.
However, they were reluctant to reveal too many of their tactics, saying their aim was to catch drink-drivers, not to tell them how to avoid capture.
Experts said men featured more in the statistics due to their attitude towards authority and their belief they were invincible.
Criminologist Greg Newbold said the reason for the difference in the numbers of male and female recidivist drink-drivers was simple.
"Women follow rules more readily than men, and respond to authority more easily. Women are more passive than men and take direction more often.
"It's the greater propensity for men to challenge authority and to take risks that lead to them being more likely to take risks in driving and to challenge the authority of the law.
"Taking risks, being defiant. It's a 'man' thing."
Psychologist Nathan Gaunt believed more men continued to drink and drive after being caught due to "feelings of invulnerability ..."
He said people might continue drink-driving due to addiction.
"They might be unable to give up and need treatment.
"There is also the idea of 'gambler's fallacy'. We tend to think that if we have been caught doing something we are somehow less likely to get caught in the near future."
Mr Gaunt said one drink-driving charge was enough for most people to realise their behaviour was wrong.
"Some can make concrete decisions to not do it again - others have addiction issues and struggle trying to stop [and] some don't care."
Psychologist Sara Chatwin said men tended to drink more than women and therefore found it harder to stop drinking even if they had been prosecuted.
"This kind of response could be fuelled by an addiction that needs to be urgently addressed. Alcohol consumption is such an accepted part of our society that for many people drinking to excess and then drinking and driving is just accepted practice."
- Anna Leask
